Boss releases DS-1 White Limited Edition distortion pedal
November 28, 2024 · 3 sources
Boss has released the DS-1 White Limited Edition, a limited run of its distortion pedal in a white finish, according to a report published on November 28, 20241.
The pedal is the standard DS-1 circuit in a white colourway with a silver screw; the report notes that modern Boss pedals usually have a black screw1. The report describes the release as aimed at collectors and Boss fanatics1. The DS-1 is the orange distortion pedal that emerged in the late 1970s, with the circuit released in 19781. The design uses a transistor-based circuit with an op-amp core and hard clipping diodes to create its distortion, and it has Level, Distortion and Tone controls1. It runs from a 9V battery or a 9V DC power adapter1.
The report gives the price of the limited edition as 89 euros at Thomann1. It lists the standard DS-1 at $71.00, the DS-1W at $125.00 and the DS-1X at $147.001. No US price for the white limited edition is given.
"This limited edition white version is aimed at collectors and Boss fanatics."
The DS-1 has been used by millions of guitarists worldwide, including players like Steve Vai, according to the report1. A separate report on the DS-1W, published in 2022, describes the original DS-1 as Boss's first bespoke distortion pedal and its best-selling pedal of all time, with over 1.5 million units2. That report also says the DS-1 was superseded by the DS-2 Turbo Distortion in 1987, and that a black DS-1-4A was released in limited quantities for the pedal's 40th anniversary2. A 2017 announcement of the DS-1-4A describes it as a black body with gold lettering, gold knobs and a vintage silver thumbscrew for the battery compartment, available in 2017 only3.